EPA Versions - Overview

Which learners will get the new version of the curriculum?

The new curriculum version will be applied to each learner at the stage level. This means that if a learner is currently in Foundations, they will retain the previous version of Transition to Discipline and Foundations but will be given the new version of Core and Transition to Practice. Please ensure that all of your learners are in the correct stage (on their CBME Dashboards) prior to publishing the new curriculum version. Remember: a green checkmark on the stage indicates that the learner has completed that stage. A learner is currently in the stage that comes after the last green stage checkmark.

As soon as you have published your new version, you will need to build tools for all of the new or changing EPAs before residents can be assessed on them.

What is considered a new EPA?

Think in terms of the EPA or Milestone code. A new version of an EPA is when:

1. The EPA title/description has changed sufficiently to change the context of the EPA, AND/OR

2. You are changing, adding, or retiring any milestones within the EPA, AND/OR

3. You are changing the EPA code association (e.g., you have retired an EPA in the middle of your numbering, such as D2, and now need to shift D3, D4, D5, into D2, D3, D4).

A new version of a Milestone is when:

1. The Milestone title has changed sufficiently to change the context of the Milestone.

What do the objective statuses mean?

Replaced

Select this option if you wish to replace the EPA entirely, including all milestones. This is the easiest option to work through the wizard. This option will require you to have a complete set of CSV files, rather than just the changes. Use this option if you have many changes to implement across EPAs and milestones.

Not changing

The objectives will remain unchanged. This exact version of the objective will be carried-forward into the new curriculum version. Note that selecting this option will stop any objectives with the same code from being uploaded. Any EPAs marked as not changing will have all existing tools carried over.

Changing

The objective will be changing. A new version of this EPA will be created, which may include objectives within it that you mark as changing.

For a milestone (or competency), if you select “changing” on one EPA, the system will update all other instances of that milestone to “changing”. This will ensure that you only have one version of that milestone.

Retire

The EPA (remember, think in terms of EPA Code, e.g. "C1") is being retired from the next version. This means that there will be no new version of that EPA Code in the next curriculum version. If you include an EPA with the retired code in the spreadsheet, it will not get uploaded. You are unlikely to use this status for EPAs unless there is an EPA at the end of your numbering that is being removed. For example, you have D1, D2, D3, D4 currently. You are retiring D4 from the next version and no new D4 will be uploaded.

For milestones, a “retired” status will remove that milestone from that EPA in the new version. This means that there will be no new version of that milestone for that EPA. It will not retire it from other EPAs unless you explicitly tell it to.

What do I need to do to prepare?

Please ensure that you have documented any changes that will need to be made, in addition to creating (or modifying) new CSV templates for upload. From the user interface, you will be able to indicate:

• Whether an EPA is being replaced, changing, not changing, or being retired

• Within each EPA that has been marked as changing, indicate if any KC, EC, or Milestones will be changing, not changing, or retired

• If you are adding milestones to an EPA, mark it as changing so that the uploader will add the new milestones

• Entirely new EPAs will be detected by the uploader without you needing to indicate anything. For example, if you currently have D1, D2, and D3, but will be adding a D4 and D5, the system will detect these in your spreadsheet and add them to the new curriculum.

• The new curriculum version will be applied to each learner at the stage level. This means that if a learner is currently in Foundations, they will retain the previous version of Transition to Discipline and Foundations but will be given the new version of Core and Transition to Practice. Please ensure that all of your learners are in the correct stage (on their CBME Dashboards) prior to publishing the new curriculum version. Remember: a green checkmark on the stage indicates that the learner has completed that stage.

Which CSV files do I need to have ready?

1. EPA Template

2. Milestone Template

3. If applicable, any new program-specific Key and Enabling Competencies

SPREADSHEET TIP:

To ensure that you do not have any duplicated milestone text or duplicated milestone codes, use the "Duplicate Values" feature in Microsoft Excel. This will highlight any duplicated cells for you to ensure that you have only entered each milestone once. Caveat: this method is not perfect and will not catch the same milestone text if one instance of it has an additional space or missing period.

How will my assessors know which EPA version to pick for each learner?

Great news: When triggering an assessment, only the EPAs and associated forms relevant to that learner will be displayed. You will not have to choose between multiple versions for a given learner.

Do I need to build new assessment tools?

You only need to build new assessment tools for new EPAs or EPAs that have changed. Assessment tools will be carried over for all EPAs that were marked as "not changing." As noted above, as soon as you have published your new version, you will need to build tools for all of the new or changing EPAs before residents can be assessed on them.